6
Connecting the Zamp v.2
Refer to the drawing on Page 4
Connection Precautions
Disconnect the AC cord before or while making or changing any input, trigger, or speaker
connections. Make sure there is no strain or tension on any connections that could cause
them to pull loose in the future.
Input Connections
Use the Right and Left channel RCA jacks for normal stereo operation. Connect the
outputs of your preamplifier or multi-room controller to these line level inputs.
Looping Output Connections
The Right and Left Loop Out jacks are convenient connections to feed the input signals to
an additional amplifier. This feature eliminates the need for “Y” connectors to split the
source between your Zamp and the other amplifier.
Speaker Connections
Five-Way Speaker Terminals
You can connect bare speaker wires up to AWG 12, speaker wires terminated with 1/4"
spade lugs or terminated with single or dual banana plugs.
If you use bare wires, remove only enough insulation so each exposed bare wire inserts
through the small transverse hole in the terminal’s binding post. Before inserting the wire,
twist its strands tightly between your fingers to prevent strays that might cause a short
circuit. You may want to “tin” the stripped bare wire with solder to prevent it from
fraying and oxidizing.
Correct Speaker Polarity is Important
Speaker wires are coded with printing or a ridge on the insulation of one of the two leads.
This helps you identify which lead you connected to the positive terminal and which to
the negative terminal when you are at the other end of the wire.
Mono Operation
We recommend an 8
Ω
minimum speaker load for mono operation. This is because one
channel amplifies only the positive half and the other channel amplifies only the negative
half of the audio signal. Each channel “sees” only half of the speaker’s rated impedance.
So an 8
Ω
speaker becomes a 4
Ω
load in mono and a 4
Ω
speaker becomes a 2
Ω
load in
mono. A 2
Ω
load may cause the Zamp v.2 to overheat and you should avoid it.
Stereo - Mono Switch
The unit should be turned off before moving this switch. Set the Stereo-Mono switch to
its Mono (left) position for mono operation. Stereo output will be weak and distorted if
you accidentally leave this switch in its Mono position.
